Azriel James Relph

Elizabeth May has been an environmental activist for 40 years. The lawyer, author, and grandmother served as the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 until 2006, when she became the leader of Canada’s Green Party.

Two hours after January’s earthquake struck Haiti, a texting donation campaign, “Text HAITI to 90999,” was up and running. After three days the effort had raised $5 million for the Red Cross, and “Text” and “90999” were in the top-10 trending topics on Twitter. Nine months later, more than $40 million has been donated by people sending as little as $5 to $10 from their cell phones.

Should the wealthy pay more taxes? Congress is expected to duck the issue until after the midterms. But 3,000 miles west, Washington state is holding a stark test of the national urge to soak the rich.

To right-wing activists, President Obama’s every move is a chance to champion an alternative cause. And the tactic appears to work even when Obama doesn’t budge, at least when the issue is gun-related. Obama campaigned on a modest set of control policies (like reviving the assault-weapons ban), and he hasn’t taken action on any of them, recently earning an F from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Yet gun-rights advocates have managed not only to open their wallets—gun applications leaped by nearly 50 percent in Obama’s first week in office—but to spur legislation.